What a Tangled Web He Weaves
by ViatrixPaige
Summary: He didn't talk about it. No one made him. Not even Matsumoto, gossip that she was. No. Only Hisagi knew the entire story. He'd been there for Kira through it all. Through the search, through the pain...But not even he mentioned it. It was Kira's secret, and it'd come back to bite him.
1. Domino One

Okay, since I can't figure out how to put those little notes at the top of the page, I'll just write it here. SPOILER ALERT: This story takes place after the War, but before Kagerōza. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you will probably find a lot of spoilers. I own nothing. This purely fan made. Please enjoy.

She walked out of the Academy, head held high. She had a confidence none of her fellow students possessed. It didn't matter she was the oldest student graduating. She'd been a late find. It didn't matter she'd graduated in record time, even faster than the prodigy Toshiro Hitsugaya. When the other students heard her coming, they fell silent, whispering behind her back, saying she'd been through the Academy before and failed, only to return later to show everyone up. She brushed the stinging words aside. None of that mattered. She had a mission, and the first domino was about to fall.

She entered the barracks of Squad 3, ignoring the stares and the glares she received. She was only interested in one person. The graduates were greeted by all of the seated Shinigami and the Lieutenant. The captain was conspicuously missing, but no one said anything. Most tried not to even think about it.

"Welcome!" Kira said over the din, and all quickly hushed. Usually the captain would greet the new squad members, but of course he'd stepped up, and he'd done it gladly. He needed to keep Squad 3 afloat now that Captain Gin was dead. During his first reception he'd been so nervous. His palms had been sweating even, but he'd faced challenges a lot worse than a room full of rookies. He searched the faces of the small group, the smallest the squad had ever had, and among the squirming newcomers was a blonde girl, smiling at him. She looked strangely familiar, though he was sure he'd never met her before. The girl continued to smile, looking directly at him. He smiled back, being the good Lieutenant he was.

She grinned inwardly, her best innocent expression on her face. Kira hadn't recognized her. Domino one, check.


	2. Without a Trace

Kira downed another cup of sake, relaxing after a long day's work. Hisagi, Matsumoto, and Iba sat around him, Matsumoto already beyond drunk, Iba tipsy, and Hisagi trying to maintain order.

"I don't know why Hitsugaya-taicho had to put me in charge of training the Academy graduates." Matsumoto wined. "It's not like any of them are really good. They just stand around trying to impress the rest of us."

"Squad 9 has seen a rise in recruits. It's good to know things are beginning to return to normal now that Aizen has been defeated." Hisagi said, trying to snatch Matsumoto's fourth bottle of sake away from her, only to be beaten by Iba, who downed it himself.

"Not so with Squad 3, but there was a promising candidate in the mix. Her name is Akiko Kimura. She even requested Squad 3 personally. I wonder why."

"Maybe she likes you!" Matsumoto teased. Iba laughed.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, Kira." Iba added. "When fortune knocks, don't question it. Just open the door."

"You're right." He still couldn't shake the feeling he'd met Kimura before, though. Maybe the rumors about her were true. Maybe she had been in the Academy before and they'd met there. He shook his head. No. He'd remember that. It must have been even earlier. He shrugged, downing another cup. Like Iba said, why not just open the door to a star student like Kimura?

Kimura pushed open the library doors. Everyone was out partying, and only the most depressingly devoted trainees would be in the library. She could handle them with a simple lie if they became too curious. She crept to the back of the building, past general files into the secret. To the average person, it would merely look like they had stumbled into an old part of the library and turn back, but she knew better. She pressed the spine of _A History of Soul Society,_ making another book spin and click open, revealing a key slot. She pulled out the pass she'd stolen from Lieutenant Yachiru. The squirt had never been too clever or organized, so stealing it had been easy. The back wall of books slid open with a well oiled ease. She could tell it'd been used recently. A lot. She slipped in, the shelves closing behind her without the slightest whisper. This room was the only place where you could access restricted files except for Squad 12's main computer, and there was no way she would try to slip past Mayuri, or join his squad. She didn't want to die. Especially not the way he made you die. The computer buzzed to life the moment it registered her reiatsu. It had entered long before she'd started her mission.

Within seconds she'd accessed all the files she'd need. She slid a tiny device onto the panel, instantly erasing her presence from the computer's memory. She smiled. The Soul Society would provide everything for its undoing. She left as quietly as she'd come. Squad 12 would be working for weeks just to figure out how she'd left without a trace, let alone what she'd accessed. By then, everything would be over.

Still don't know how to put notes on here, so here it is: Please review! This is my first fanfic, and I am always looking to make it better. Thank you.


	3. Just a Little Harder

Hollows, the never ending barrage of destruction Kira and every other Shinigami had devoted their lives to stopping. Today, however, would be just a little harder than mere Hollows. He'd been assigned to cleanse a small group on the edge of Rukon District. He'd gathered a few members, including Akiko Kimura, who had quickly become the Squad's favorite newbie. She smiled at everyone, always helped out, and was the first to stick up for Squad 3 when others mentioned how they'd had two traitor captains in the span of a year. Even Kira had taken a liking to her.

"Ready to go?" Kimura said, beaming.

"Aren't you frightened?" Kira asked, explaining what he meant when he saw the blank look on her face. "Most people are afraid when they go on their first mission. Even the most hardened Shinigami get scared every now and then. Fear is nothing to be ashamed of."

"Nah. I'm not scared. This is why I joined. This is why I live." That statement worried Kira. Squad 3's symbol was a marigold, which signified despair. One should not enjoy battle. He looked at this child, only a little younger than himself. She didn't look as innocent anymore. Before he could talk to her about her statement, she'd already gone on ahead with the rest of the team. Kira followed, beginning to wonder if their new mascot had more to her than she was letting on.

The battle that followed only proved his suspicions. She attacked without hesitation, almost breaking into a smile when she felled a Hollow. She ignored her teammates, causing Kira to step in before she put them in danger. Some just stood back in horror and in awe as she simply annihilated everything around her.

When the battle was over, not a single Hollow remained, and not a single team member had sustained serious injuries. They all stared at Kimura. She hadn't even used her Shikai. Suddenly, they all broke out in thunderous applause, hoisting Kimura on their shoulders like a hero, carrying her all the way to Seireitei. Kira felt a chill run down his spine. Everyone was overjoyed. They finally had a prodigy. They could start rebuilding Squad 3's reputation with Kimura by their sides. Maybe that's why they didn't see her vicious nature hiding just out of sight. Kira himself wanted to push the thought away, to simply attribute it to a new Shinigami's zeal and leave it at that. But he couldn't. He'd seen that look before. She'd enjoyed killing those Hollows. She'd enjoyed every bit of it. He used Flash Step to catch up with the rest of the team, pretending to rejoice with them.

Kira pulled the new recruit to the side the moment they returned to the barracks.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" He asked.

"The Academy." She responded, giving him that innocent look she always had.

"That's a lie. You only learn to fight like that after you've been in battle, after you've learned the little details the Academy can't teach you." She looked away for a moment before responding.

"I lost everyone dear to me because of a Hollow. My family, my friends, my entire life. I always thought if I had tried just a little harder, if I had fought, if I had realized I had these powers in the first place, maybe they would still be alive today." She paused, turning to Kira with a look in her eyes he had only seen a few times before in his life: pure hatred. "The moment I was able to use my Zanpakuto, I fought, and I haven't stopped. I won't stop, not until every Hollow is gone, until everyone who has wronged me has paid, until no one has to suffer like I have suffered!"

"Perhaps you should transfer Squad 11. You seem more suited to their life style and mindset." Kira said, turning away from the pitiful girl consumed by her own suffering and hatred.

"No. I don't want to fight under someone who only cares about blood, about not dying that day. I want to be around people who know what it's like to be betrayed, to lose everything they thought they couldn't live without."

"Still, taking a life, even a Hollow's, is not something you should be happy about."

"Yes it is! It means one less death for us, one less innocent gone, one less family butchered!" Kira turned, anger contorting his features.

"You're not the only one who has lost family to Hollows." He said. "Almost everyone here has lost someone. I lost my parents and my sister." Kimura blanched.

"Then you of all people should understand." She spat. She walked away without another word, joining the others in their boasting to other squad members. Kira sighed. _What would Captain Gin do?_ He thought. He turned away from the barracks and the now smiling Kimura, going to search for the one person he could trust, Shuuhei Hisagi.


	4. Memories

He remembered it all so vividly, and being drunk didn't help. Hisagi sat across from him, sober as ever.

"Why'd she have to bring up such awful memories anyway?" Kira grumbled. "Even after all these years, I still have nightmares about it."

"It might help if you talked about it." Hisagi suggested, not knowing how to really help his friend. When something like that happens, can you really ever help them? Kira sat back, staring up at the ceiling. He'd just graduated the Academy. He'd only been in his Squad for three days before it happened. He'd become a Shinigami to prevent tragedies like that one. What bitter irony. He'd been on patrol around the Seireitei when he got the news. A hell butterfly had flown over to him. How innocent.

"Izuru Kira, there has been an attack. You are to report to the afflicted area immediately and provide assistance." He'd rushed over immediately, only to discover his house was the "afflicted area." It was like the entire world was gray. He'd been completely numb, frozen. _This can't be real. It can't._ He'd rushed into the burned building, searching every corner, shouting his parents' names, then his sister's, opening every door with hope, closing each one with crushing agony. The dust and the ash burned with every breath, the smoke still rising from the floorboards stung his eyes. No reply. That's what he remembered best about that day. The silence. The utter and complete silence.

He pulled himself out of the nightmare. He couldn't take it anymore. Shuuhei waited patiently for Kira to speak, and when he didn't, neither did he.

_Stupid Kira!_ She thought. Who was he to yell at her? _Your acting captain, stupid. You're the one who picked this. You could have joined Squad 9. It would have been smarter._ But not as satisfying. She leaned against the wall. She could still see that Hollow in front of her, jaws gaping, screeching as it ripped the roof from their home. She'd been so young then, with no idea she possessed Shinigami powers. She'd just stared at the monster as her parents ran like chickens, trying to find a way out, trying to find her. She'd been playing a game, waiting for her brother to come home and play tag. She'd been hiding in the closet, peaking through the slit in the door. She'd watched as it grabbed her father, who had pushed his wife into the hallway and out of danger. One gulp. That was all it took to eat her father. There'd been blood dripping from its jaws. She hadn't realized quite yet that it was her father's blood. She'd thought he was playing hide and seek with monster. She didn't believe her father could get eaten. That happened to other people. Her parents couldn't get eaten by a Hollow. That was just a scary story parents told their children, wasn't it? Then her mother had disappeared into the monster's maw, and that's when she'd realized, it was over. She'd shut that closet door and huddled in a corner. She didn't remember anything after that. Maybe she'd blacked out, maybe her mind blocked her memories of what had happened to protect her. All she remembered was waking up in a burned down house with no one around. She'd stayed there, in the rubble, for an entire day before any Shinigami arrived. She'd hid at first, thinking the Hollow had returned. There were only three of them. They took one look at the devastation and left. No search, no questions. She'd waited there for days, weeks even, waiting for her brother to come for her, but he never did. Only one person ever came for her. He'd turned her into the fighter she was. He was the one who had given her a mission. He was the reason she lived, and kept on living. Him, and her brother. That monster had abandoned her after becoming a Shinigami. He was the reason she was filled with hate. He was the reason she was going to remake Seireitei, and destroy anyone who got in her way.


	5. The Spy

Kira was not a fan of spies. They'd had too many traitors already, so when the announcement came that someone had broken into the library using Lieutenant Yachiru's pass, he'd almost lost his composure. Did it never end? He was sure the Seireitei could survive this chaos, but he wasn't sure he could. But what was even more worrisome was the fact that Kimura was missing. He'd called all of Squad 3 together to start the search for a possible defector, and she'd been conspicuously absent. A sinking feeling settled in his stomach as he spoke. The newbie still didn't arrive. Doubt and pride waged a war as he spoke to his teammates, trying to keep their spirits higher than his own. Then someone asked the one question he couldn't answer: Where was Akiko Kimura?

He didn't want to doubt her. He didn't want to think she might be the spy. He made excuses to himself and his team, but he added silently to himself, _There is something wrong with her, though. She's too brutal, even for someone heading to Squad 11._ He marched out of the barracks silently, knowing he'd have to find her before he could put their minds to rest. They needed to know their new team mascot wasn't another traitor.

Kimura walked into Muken. The guards were easy. She could have beaten them all without her sword if she'd wanted to. But she cut them down instead. These weaklings were better off dead anyway. She marched forward, the prisoners around her cowering. She descended into the depths of the earth, through the maze like interior of the prison. She finally encountered some challenging resistance a few floors away from her target. They seemed started when they saw her. How had she gotten past all of the other Shinigami that haunted these halls? She smiled as she drew her Zanpakuto, the guards drawing their own.

"Ensou, Kyonofue*." Their deaths were swift and sudden. They never had time to show her their true strength. Her heart pounded in her chest as she stepped over their bodies. She was so close. If she could free him, the man who had raised her after she'd lost everything, the man who had taught her everything she knew, she could be at peace as they transformed Soul Society from its very core. With her by his side, Sosuke Aizen would rule Soul Society and purify its corruption and evil.

*Play, crying flute


	6. Father

Kira had tracked Kimura's presence out into the forest when the hell butterfly flitted to his shoulder and told him his worst fears were not only true, but the reality was much, much worse.

"Akiko Kimura has infiltrated the Muken, killing five Shinigami after they sounded the alarm. It appears she is trying to free Sosuke Aizen from his prison. All captains and lieutenants gather at the Muken and prepare for battle." That sinking feeling returned, becoming cold and bitter in his mouth. How had this happened? How had she gotten so far? Maybe Aizen had told her...Kira shook his head. They'd won the war. Why couldn't all of this just be over! He used Flash Step to reach the coordinates as quickly as he could. She'd been playing them all. She'd been strong, and after all the losses they had suffered, they had needed someone like her. Squad 3 in particular had needed someone like her. They'd let a parasite in through the front doors, and now it was about to destroy them. Kira couldn't let that happen. He'd know something was wrong with Kimura. Maybe if he'd brought his suspicions into the open sooner, maybe if he'd taken her off duty after the Hollow incident, none of this would have happened. Kimura's actions were his fault, and his responsibility, and he was going to end this struggle once and for all.

"Raise your head, Wabisuke!"

She could feel him on the other side of the door. Even with all of their petty seals, they still couldn't contain him. She could also sense the army growing above her. They wouldn't act in time. They had all of their codes and their procedures to abide by. They were nearly helpless in an emergency like this, when the enemy had such a huge advantage over them. She touched the door. It was three feet thick. It could only be opened by a code from the Head Captain. After Aizen had slaughtered the Central 46, it was deemed that the Head Captain was the only one strong enough to keep such a secret. She raised her Zanpakuto to the door. It looked like a flute, and thus everyone dismissed its powers. But Aizen had taught hundreds of songs she could play, each one creating something different. He was the only one who saw her potential. She played the last song he had taught her. The sweet melody echoed all around her, and with each note the earth began to shake. The walls cracked and the temperature rose. She didn't know the name of the song, but she could feel its power emanating from the earth itself. The final note signaled the death knell for this prison. The door began to crumble, melting into a puddle. There he was, waiting on the other side, bound by straps that prevented him from seeing, or speaking, or moving at all, but he knew she was there nonetheless. She jumped over the puddle that was his prison and embraced him. She could feel him smiling beneath the mask that bound him.

"I have come, Father. I have come to set you free."


	7. The Truth

Kira jumped over the bodies of his comrades. He'd offered to be the scout since Kimura was his responsibility. The Head Captain had agreed, adding that he try to stop her at any cost, even killing her. The captains were close behind, preparing seals in case Aizen did escape. Kurosaki had been summoned as well, though they doubted his strength would be enough. He was still losing his spiritual powers, and he couldn't manage another Final Gensugatensho to save them all this time. Kira finally felt rage. After Captain Gin had left, he'd been shocked, but not angry. Now he was angry at all of them. Aizen, Gin, Tosen, Kimura. He wanted all of them to pay. They kept taking lives and creating chaos. He thanked the fallen as he passed, knowing they had given their lives to slow this monster down.

Kira swept past the destruction, past the bodies and melted door, and found Kimura unwrapping the monster that had once been a Shinigami. He didn't say a word, just attacked with all he had. This time, he intended to kill without hesitation.

She sensed Kira just in time to block his attack. Stupid Kira! He was the one who had caused her all of this pain. Why couldn't he just let her be, finally? She began to play the same song she'd used to break down the door when Aizen ordered her to stop. She'd uncovered his mouth and one of his hands already, as well as his eyes.

"Izuru Kira. I am surprised they sent you. Not that it matters." He began undoing the bandages as he talked. Kira lunged for him, but Kimura intervened, sending him flying with some sort of song. Kira stood, never letting his eyes waver from his target. He couldn't let Aizen escape, even if it cost him his life!

"Why are you doing this Kimura? Why are you helping a monster like him?" He shouted, trying to get her to turn on her master. Aizen answered instead, flicking away one of Kira's Kido as he spoke.

"Kimura? Don't recognize your sister, Akane?" Kira hesitated, allowing his eyes to focus on the woman called Kimura. His sister had died years ago, when she was still a child. How could this woman be her? They both had blonde hair and blue eyes, but that didn't mean anything. No. This woman filled with rage and hate, this murder couldn't be his sister.

"You're lying. I searched for days. No one was alive in that house." He lunged again, but Kimura intercepted.

"Liar! I watched as our parents died. I watched as that monster destroyed everything. No one came to help. No one came to see if anyone was still alive! You abandoned us. You and all of those worthless Shinigami! Aizen was the only one who helped me after I lost everything." She played a few quick notes and sent a fire ball screaming towards her brother. Kira jumped, still focused on Aizen. All of this was a lie. Aizen must be manipulating him. Kimura repeated her melody in fast succession, sending a shower of fire towards him. The smoke burned his eyes, but he managed to avoid being hit. When the smoke cleared, however, Aizen was standing. Kira gasped as a crushing spiritual pressure filled the room, almost dropping him to his knees. _No!_

"Die, Aizen!" He tried for a final attack, lunging in front before using Flash Step to come from above. The monster easily grabbed his sword and tossed him aside. Kira hit the wall, cracking it. His head swirled. He coughed up blood as he tried to regain his senses. Kimura ran to the monster she thought was a hero.

"Let's go, Aizen-sama. I haven't undone all of your seals yet, and the others are closing in." Aizen smiled at the girl, using the hand he had freed to punch a hole through her chest. Blood spattered the floor as the child stared up at her hero, gasping, trying to fill lunges she no longer had.

"That is enough Akane. You have served your purpose. Now you may rest." He threw her away like he'd thrown away all his other pawns. Kira stared at the limp form. She'd done all this for Aizen, and he just threw her away.

"Why?" The figure whispered with the last of her strength.

"Because I created you for this purpose. From the very beginning, you were mine. I sent the Hollow. I created the illusion that no one was left alive, and that no one had come to search." He turned to Kira, who had attempted to sneak up on him. He kicked Kira in the stomach, the force breaking Kira's ribs and rupturing internal organs. He couldn't breathe for a moment, completely stunned an unable to move. The pain swelled, numbing his chest, his harms, his mind. No...He needed to do something.

Aizen smiled slightly before leaving the insect to die. He had planned for this, the reunion of these pathetic siblings torn apart by fate, by him.

"Why Kimura? Why my sister?" Kira shouted, struggling to his feet. If what Aizen said was true, then the death of his family had been orchestrated by the man standing before him. Kira couldn't believe he had planned all of this.

"She was a fallback for the slim possibility that I was captured." He kicked Kira again as the fool tried to attack. He was like a pesky fly that simply would not give up and die. Kira couldn't breathe, couldn't think. He just kept attacking, trying to buy time for the Kido corps to finish. It all felt so surreal, like a dream. Even the pain that stabbed every part of his body seemed distant. But finally his body began to shut down from all of the wounds he had suffered. He watched Aizen start walking towards the melted door like it was a movie. He knew he had to stop the monster from leaving, but his body just wouldn't move. He watched a tiny hand grab Aizen's ankle. He heard the faint and pathetic song of a flute, watched bubbles rise into the air and Aizen kick the player. When the little bubbles burst, Hollows streamed into the room. Gillians, former Espada, all the Hollows that had been under his control and now under Halibel's rule. Aizen laughed at the pathetic attempt to stop him. Was this supposed to be some sort of attempt to stop him? He killed one after another, without trouble, without thought.

Among their death howls came a pounding, like something was breaking. The sound grew louder and louder, until Ichigo Kurosaki burst from the ceiling, eyes gleaming with a cold hatred from behind his Hollow mask. Even with his powers slowly dying, he was a sight to behold, his orange hair like a strange, fiery halo. Then came Soi Fon, followed by Ichigo's friends and the Kido Corps, and the other captains. He saw Yoruichi and Urahara plunge from the ceiling. Everyone was here. Had he delayed Aizen enough? Could they beat him? Kira stood, his legs screaming but his mind commanding them to move. An orange field surrounded him, easing the pain until he could rejoin the fight.

Kira was only slightly aware of what he was doing as he fought. He watched his comrades die by Aizen's hands as they struggled to subdue him. He watched their blood stream across the floor, and Kurosaki's black reiatsu crushing everything in its path. _I hate battle._ Kira thought. _The death, the madness..._ Block. Attack. Retreat. Repeat. _But it's necessary. Someone has to do it. Someone has to defend Soul Society and the World of the Living against Hollows, against monsters like Aizen. _Images of his family's burned out house flashed through his mind. Images of Gin's snake like smile as he comforted Kira after the incident. Had he known the truth? Had he led Kira on? His eyes searched the chaos for Kimura. No. Akane, his sister. Members of Squad 4 had surrounded her and the other wounded, Lieutenant Isane creating a protective barrier. Maybe she would be okay. Maybe all of this could be fixed... Kira turned to Aizen. He would make this monster pay.

He had destroyed her. He had taken everything. And now he had taken her only chance to reverse what she'd done, to make amends. How had she been so stupid? How had she fallen for his trick? She watched him walk towards the exit. She couldn't let him get away with what he'd done to her. The man she had called Father. She grabbed his leg, playing the first song he had taught her. She filled it with all of her hate at being manipulated, all of her sorrow at losing her family, all of her self loathing for being his pawn. The Hollows came in droves, attracted by her pain. It was all she had left...

She watched the rest of the 13 Court Guard Squads drop through the ceiling. She watched the death and thought of her family. So Kira had come for her. After all these years of hating him, she found it hard to believe. She couldn't imagine him grieving, but the man she saw now, his eyes filled with blood-lust, she understood this man. She knew what he felt. She could imagine his sense of betrayal, of helplessness at being played and losing everything. This man that was being twisted as she had been twisted, she understood him, and it filled her with a sadness she couldn't explain. She didn't want him to hurt. She didn't want him to suffer. He'd done what she'd always wanted him to do. He didn't deserve this, though she did. She stared at her Zanpakuto. She dismissed the idea of fighting. She was dying. She would just be in the way. Besides, she didn't want to touch the flute she had so adored, the creature she had loved as her way to salvation and revenge. It was the source of her pain. If she had been born as weak as everyone had thought, none of this would have happened. Aizen wouldn't have cared. She closed her eyes, a smile pulling at her lips. Maybe, just maybe, this pawn, in its last act of desperation, had toppled the king. Maybe, just maybe, as she lay dying, she could spit in the face of his carefully laid plans.

There_ is_ a chapter after this! I don't know if that's clear or not...


	8. Akane Kira

The Kido Corps had done it. The seal had taken effect. Everyone together had been enough to weaken Aizen. Kira dropped to his knees among the cheers of his comrades, exhausted. He turned to the hospital Squad 4 had set up, now bursting at the seems. He ran with the last of his strength to Akane, to his sister, to tell her it was over, that he was sorry, that he hadn't know, that if he had... Hope bloomed in his heart. Maybe they could live together as brother and sister again. Maybe they could just erase all of history and start a new...but when he reached her side, he knew in an instant that she was already dead. Her lips, curved in a slight smile, were blue, and the blood had stopped dripping from her wound. She could no longer hear his words of apology.

He stood beside Akane's grave, the dirt strewn with the fresh flowers he and his friends had brought. Hisagi stood beside him, silent. There was nothing he could say to help Kira, and he knew it. It was like Kira was losing family all over again, only this time he had been there, and could have stopped it.

Akane had been honored as a true Shinigami of Soul Society for her final act. Partly for Kira, and partly because the girl who had lost everything still had enough determination in her heart to fight against the monster that had tricked her. Kira wanted to tell his sister she was the reason Aizen was back in prison. He wanted to tell her so much, but he couldn't. A single tear slide down his cheek, the only sign of the ache in his heart. Shinigami didn't cry. Hisagi looked away so his friend wouldn't feel ashamed. Kira placed an old picture of their entire family on the grave. It had been the only thing he'd been able to find in their house. He'd kept it all these years, looking at every morning when he woke, and every night before he went to sleep. Now it was hers, the family she'd always wanted.


End file.
